Restaurant week in Athens is my favorite week of the year! We always pick new restaurants that we've never tried, and let me tell you...this place did NOT disappoint! It is the cutest, quaint and I would even say rustic atmosphere! Our server was very nice, professional and attentive! And then the food...it was delicious!! Our entire party enjoyed the house made Caesar salad complete with homemade croutons and dressing! I had the Lobster ravioli with the saffron sauce, 2 people had the mushroom pasta and one had the Bolognese, and it was all so good. We had the tiramisu and the white chocolate ganache cheesecake for dessert! Oh my word!! So good! The moment that stood out though is when the owner, Drew, came to our table and greeted us, shared about his love for this food and this city, and just made us feel at home! 10/10 we will be back and soon!! read more

See all

From starts the restaurant is understaff. It took a while to start the order. The food was good. Drinks finally came 30 minutes later... When the bill came I noticed a 25 additional charge already applied which I assumed was the tip. Also the bill came suggesting additional tip which I didn't like. It's a shame because we like to support local restaurants but the thing with the tip was very disappointing as we felt deceived with this hidden charge. read more

We arrived after 8 on a Thursday evening on a hot July night. Athens was fairly empty. The service was excellent. The food was spectacular. You will not be disappointed by this gem in downtown! read more

Came on a double date with plans of spending a while, we ordered the chefs courses and spent the nect 3 hours drinking wine and devouring delicious food. Hoghly recommend! read more

Great hidden gem in downtown Athens. Excellent service, meal was fantastic classic Italian, drinks and wine list were exceptional. We really had a great overall experience and are looking forward to visiting again when in the Classic City! read more

I almost never write reviews but I'm extremely disappointed with my experience at this restaurant, particularly with our server, Chole. After dining here, I noticed that an additional tip had been added to my bill even though gratuity had already been automatically included on the original check. This is all after we waited an hour and a half for cold bland food and nothing was said and we were the third table sat for the night. When I spoke with a manager, he provided a copy of "my" receipt showing an added tip and a signature. However, the signature was not mine. An additional tip was added without my authorization, and my signature was forged. This is not just unprofessional, it is fraudulent. When I contacted the restaurant to address the issue, it was not handled promptly. After finally getting in contact with the owner, Andrew, he was dismissive and rude rather than helpful and concerned. There was no accountability taken and no real effort made to resolve the situation. I am still after 5 days waiting to hear back from him after already waiting 2 days to get in contact with him in the first place. I strongly caution others to carefully review their receipts if they choose to dine here or have dined here recently. read more

Great experience at Osteria! We were there for All-State Band. Drew, the owner, greeted the kids at the door, made them feel welcome, and took a moment to chat with them- a great start to the evening. Service was excellent. Kaitlyn was attentive and clearly well-trained on all points of service, and Sebastion was wonderful as well. The food was amazing and everyone loved their meals. I have food allergies and they were very accommodating (Best shrimp ever!). Great food, great service, and a welcoming atmosphere. I see two not-so-great reviews. Every place has an off moment. I can say our experience was 100% different. Highly recommend! read more

My mom and I came to Athens, Ga for the Alabama vs. Georgia game and we had to eat here. The owner of Osteria Athena, was so welcoming and kind to us even though we're Bama fans! This is definitely one of the best Italian food restaurants I have ever been to. I love how cozy and intimate the restaurant is, the owner and staff were all so nice and friendly. We ordered the Bruschetta al funghi, a caesare salad, Pollo al Marsala, and the Pollo Alla francese. The bruschetta is too die for...the best I've ever had. Both of the chicken dishes were flavorful and the chicken was oh so tender...PERFECTION Osteria Athena has an amazing wine selection and the espresso martini's 10/10. We will definitely be back. Please, please, please put an Osteria Athena in T-town!!!! Oh and one more thing ROLLLLL TIDE ROLLLLL!!!!! read more

See all

Looking for good tiramisu? This. Is. THE. Place. I came here for a group dinner, and it wasn't busy for a Thursday. We got drinks, bruschetta to start with, and I got the seafood linguine, and tiramisu to end the meal. Everything was so perfect, flavorful, and fresh! Our server was very nice and patient with us, especially because we were a pretty decent sized party. I highly recommend, and every penny you spend will be worth it!! read more

Osteria Athena is a quaint, intimate Italian place. It was super cute inside. The menu is short and sweet. I usually prefer the smaller menus over a "book" of dishes-- I know they have been perfected! Quality over quantity. Our server was great. There was short staff, which happens in any industry at some point, but the server, bartender, and cook nailed it. The food was fresh and our server attended to everything quickly! We ordered: -Bruschetta -Fresh bread w/ dip (free!) -Linguine mare e Scoglio -Pasta w/ meatballs -2 bottles of Chardonnay Everything was delicious. The seafood linguine was about 10x better than I could have expected! We were super hungry, so no pictures this time. Highly recommend though! Perfect place for a bottle of wine (chiller bucket offered), big bowl of pasta, and a tiramisu. Excited to come back. read more

Very disappointing! Tried to call the number posted on the website where it instructs you to "...please call for reservations." However, the number posted does not work. Rings many times, no message but a beep - and then it disconnects you. Not to be disuaded, I also reached out to the email posted - figured that would be a good alternative way to reach them and I cold tell them about the phone probem. However, the email address also posted on the website - contact@osteriaathena.com - bounced back advising me "contact wasn't found at osteriaathena.com". Cannot comment on the Food or Ambiance, as I can't make contact with the resturant. If this sort of managment is how they run the kitchen, I have no desire to visit and eat there. read more

Really wanted to love this place! We made a reservation expecting a crowd before a concert that evening. We were the first ones in the door at 5pm. Owner sat us and was super nice. Waitress took our drink order - 2 beers for the boys, a vodka cocktail for mom and an old fashioned for me. Husband ordered an Athena thinking it was a Greek beer he had had before - it was a lemon Berliner Weiss from Creature Comforts. NOT what he expected. Dad was willing to trade for his Peroni, so all was well. Maybe put the brewery name and/or beer type on the menu? Mom enjoyed her cocktail. My old fashioned was a little skimpy and had a Shirley Temple type maraschino cherry.... Such a sacrilege. Really could invest in a jar of Luxardos, just saying. We were not offered bread. Weird since we were each given a bread plate. Maybe they don't have bread? Half the fun of eating Italian is dipping delicious bread into fresh olive oil and balsamic. Hmpf. Hubs and I split a Caprese Salad - why is it that when you split 2 ways, there is an odd number of pieces? It was fine - tough to mess up a caprese salad. We also split a pasta dish. What are "pasta links"? Anyway, it wasn't terribly warm, and looked like it had been scooped from a steamer pan - zero on presentation. Tasted ok, but no "personality" to the taste. We ordered dessert. As we were waiting for it, our waitress offered the next table some bread. Hmpf. The tiramisu was pretty good. Dad liked his gelato and Mom's affogato was fine. Lots of Italian restaurants around, so will try another one next time. Service was fine, maybe a bit over- present. Ambiance was fine while we were there (except for the other waitress sweeping the floor while we were eating. That should really have been done before opening. Also note - this place is up a flight of stairs. read more

Osteria Athena - Sad smushed maraschino cherry in my old fashioned - Italian Near Me - Athens, Georgia

This review is specific to Valentine's Day dinner, which my date and I really wanted to enjoy, but unfortunately didn't love. The food was fine (in fact, the steak was good!) but the dressing was way too fishy for us to eat our salads. For the price (about $160 for food and drinks), I didn't feel like we got our money's worth. The service and atmosphere were great though, so maybe just steer clear during Valentine's Day. read more

This place was amazing! Service, food, drinks, atmosphere. Everything was delicious and the owner was so unbelievably nice. The restaurant has such a personal vibe to it since it is a smaller restaurant. Our server Bay was so sweet and fantastic. Highly recommend to anyone looking for some great italian food! PS: The espresso martini was fabulous! read more

Osteria Athena - linguine mare e scoglio and pollo alla francese in the background - Italian Near Me - Athens, Georgia

See all

First visit to this restaurant Complimentary bread and dip of olive oil and herbs Started with the Caprese split between my husband and I Delicious Then I had the Pollo al Marsala substituted the mashed potatoes for linguine and my husband the Caserecce alla Campagna Both were delicious Would definitely return again Service was great, friendly and informative read more

See all

This place had good reviews and now I know why. Very nice but up a long flight of stairs. Not sure how you would get up there if you were handicapped. Started our meal with bruschetta and Cesar salad. Bruschetta was flavorful with a big basil leaf and fresh tomatoes. The Cesar was not a Cesar. The dressing was weird and the lettuce was bitter. And you don't put tomatoes in a cesar. On to our main course, we had the tagliatelle with mushrooms, cavatelli with sausage and linguini with meat balls. All of our meals were delicious. Portions just right and very good. The tagliatelle seemed homemade and the truffle oil and mushrooms were excellent. The cavatelli and sausage had a great meaty flavorful sauce. The linguini and meatballs were pretty good. The meatballs are small. All in all was very good and would come back. A little slimy on the bread but overall a good 4 star. read more

See all

Great old school feel, very Italian. Sat at bar and was provided friendly service. Wife had their version of chicken piccata, pasta was cooked properly and it was very lemony. I had the bolognese and it was unfortunately not enjoyed. The pasta was overcooked and the ragu was bitter and dry, as if it had been sitting for a while. read more

Been coming to this restaurant for 15 years. Everything is awesome the locations is really quaint, cosy qnd the food is fresh. We love it and will continue to come here. read more

Great Italian food, very homie atmosphere. super refreshing and insanely great service

Went here to enjoy a meal with my boyfriend on a Tuesday night and we were one of the only tables. We were seated quickly by the hostess and greeted by our attentive waitress. The restaurant had a warm and welcoming atmosphere with dimmer lighting. The bread was delicious and paired very well with the olive oil dip. The tagliatelle was delicious with a savory cream sauce that highlights the mushrooms perfectly. The pasta was the perfect al dente, which is my preference. The marsala was delicious and the vegetables were well seasoned and not too mushy which was what I was worried about. The chicken was a little tough and we found it hard to cut through, even after switching the piece around to see if we had just hit the wrong spot. Would definitely go again when looking for a more upscale dinner read more

See all

We had a fantastic meal at Osteria Athena last week. The food was delicious and everything was prepared perfectly! The service was impeccable. This is our favorite restaurant in Athens! read more

Everything about this place! The food, the hands on owners, the ambiance, service! The Beef Carpaccio, Lasagna, Pappardelle with Bolognese! Wish I had pictures, but we were so excited about the food we forgot! read more

Thank you, Drew for the awesome meal for our tailgate this past weekend! Everything was delicious! read more

Osteria Athena - Italian Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Wonderful experience all around. Very caring team from the owner to the chef to the staff. Food was incredible, conversation with the staff was beyond great. Truly made a weird traveler feel like being home and friends. If you need a great meal with even better people, can't recommend enough!!! read more

I ordered 2 things to go from here, the bruschetta & the lasagna. First, I asked if I could do a half order of the bruschetta since it looked like a large serving in the previous review pictures and I was just ordering for myself, to which they said "sorry we can't do that," which is cool but it always rubs me wrong when restaurants aren't willing to be flexible -- also now reading more reviews & seeing the owner poorly respond to a bad review is a huge red flag! Second, my total was $37 and it was not worth it at all. I was craving some lasagna which is why I ordered from here. The bread for the bruschetta was supposed to be toasted but instead was burnt & the burnt taste was overpowering so it wasn't enjoyable at all. Also how it was served made it a soggy mess. I was told it would be about 25 minutes so I went to pick up at around 20 minutes and that was way too long for the appetizer to be sitting in the steamy box. Finally, the lasagna was horrible. It was either over cooked or had been reheated to the point where the serving was burnt and extremely tart/sour. There was hardly any cheese so it was basically just a sour lump of tomato & pasta. It also was a poor excuse for a "bolognese" sauce. There was hardly any meat and/or flavor in the sauce. Overall, everything was cooked poorly and for the price I paid it was sad I didn't get to enjoy my dinner. The restaurant only had 2 tables when I went in so I was expecting more attention to detail and better quality food, especially considering the high rating they have. I would like to give them a second chance but I really don't see a reason to. read more

Fresh food and amazing hospitality by the owner. The crab cakes are to die for. Had the mussels: fresh and tender. Husband had pasta he reviewed as as a 4 as it needed a bit more sauce. The steak was a 4 and the salmon was tasty. Cheese cake was to die for - the cookie one was rated a 5 and I would say the tiramisu was a 5. Overall a great experience. read more

Osteria Athena - Great food and amazing ambiance! - Italian Near Me - Athens, Georgia

First time coming here and very disappointed. Our server, Julie was very sweet and provided the best service she could for our party of 22. But her manager, Morgan made it very difficult for Julie and had her run our party by herself while Morgan and two other workers stood and watched. The food was not good. Will not be coming back and very disappointed. Hope they can get it together. A lot of potential but need a lot of training and better management. read more

I found this place off of reviews on yelp and just searching for Italian places online. It's a really cute restaurant! It's located upstairs. It's on Broad Street which is quite a popular Street in Athens. There's street parking which before 10 PM you do have to pay for. It's in a really cute area and lots of walkable things around there. We got seated rather quickly and drinks came out pretty quick as well. They do have complementary bread. We got the meatballs as appetizers which were delicious. I got the blood orange martini which was amazing and another drink which I forgot but a gin and it was so good. We also got pasta for dinner which was delicious. The shrimp and crab pasta with capers is to die for! Prices are great, great for friends, family and dates! Good wine choices! Grace was Aammaazzingggg! She was so nice, quick and a wonderful waitress. We loved her. Definitely would come here again. Go check it out! read more

See all

Where do I begin? At the beginning of course. The first course came dead on arrival (DOA). Removing the bruschetta topping revealed extensive third degree burns over most of its body (i.e., the bread). Nothing could save it, not even the pieces of ever so thinly cut bread that the cook reluctantly and stingily offered (at half the portion that had died under fire). Next of course was the second course (our entrees), which arrived brain dead. In fact, the one pasta dish looked like the output of a lobotomy gone bad, and the pasta was severely uncooked - just to add insult to the traumatic brain injury. Choosing not to finish it was a no brainer. The second pasta dish faired no better. It looked like it came either from a giant vat (think really bad prison food) or from a quickly thawed frozen meal. Needless to say, it didn't leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. The photos shown below were what we couldn't bring ourselves to eat. Could you? That takes us to the final course -- dessert, which we were told were on the house to make amends for the car wreck of a meal. The portion of the gelato offered amounted to barely even one scoop, and left me wanting...wanting to speak to a manager. But alas, they were missing in action (MIA). In light of all this, I would have expected meals to be comped; however, they had the audacity to charge full price ($77). My advice? Ignore all those 'pumped up' high ratings. Believe me when I say, the burnt toast speaks volumes about what they stand for (and don't). Don't get burned yourself. Stay far away from this flame, which is sure to burn out in no time at the rate they're going. Food: Requires major triage Service: Friendly Ambiance: Nice Visit: 6/7/23 read more

See all

This is a must try. Amazing food,service and ambiance. The staff was great. I was in town for work. This was my first time eating here. The staff was very attentive and walked me through the menu options. I had the TAGLIATELLE AL FUNGHI. It was outstanding. You can taste the freshness in every bite. I love Italian food and you can tell that they take great pride in their food. Very fresh and authentic. I mean really good. Next, I left my credit card at the restaurant. The owner personally called me. He paid to mail the card back to me. I would have given a 5 star review even without the awesome experience with the owner. Great service. I will be back. read more

Food was good. We had the pasta with sausage and mushrooms in a red sauce and gluten free pasta with mushrooms and cream sauce. Both were good and the gluten free pasta was surprisingly good with the mushrooms and had a nice nutty flavor. House special cocktails were also good. Service was good and they were not crowded. The music and decor was exactly what you expect for an American Italian restaurant. read more

We had a lovely and delicious dinner at Osteria Athena! The special of house made pesto pasta and shrimp was amazing! My husband had the mushroom and truffle pasta which he loved. We had top notch service from Bianca - truly could not have been better. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming. Drew, the owner was very attentive and made us welcome as well. You will love this wonderful spot! read more

Came to Osteria on a Saturday night. The ambience is perfect with candles on the table and a nice Italian vibe. Their wine selection is amazing, especially as a wine connoisseur. I ordered the campagna and my boyfriend ordered the Marsala, both were perfect. Honestly the best Italian food I've ever had. Best restaurant in Athens!! Highly recommend. read more

Osteria Athena - Italian Near Me - Athens, Georgia

One of my favorite restaurants in Athens! The mushroom pasta and lasagna are so so good and I have to get a tiramisu for dessert. They have a very attentive staff and a great wine list. It's very cozy so perfect for a date night! read more

Came here after moving my daughter into her freshman year at UGA, met owner Drew and was greeted with welcoming hospitality. Ordered the carpaccio and have to say hands down if not the best I have ever had, it is at least in my top 3! One Yankee to another down here in the south (Drew and I both originally from Philly) a hidden gem in Athens. Get the carpaccio you won't regret! read more

I wanted to try somewhere new in athens with my kids so tried this placed based on the reviews. Not sure if the reviews are fake or the people writing the reviews ever tried real Italian food. Price and portions size were fare. Tito's and soda tasted great. That's about it! Food had no taste. Chicken Parm sauce looked like it was straight out of the chef boy r D can. Chicken piccata- no taste at all. Plus was chicken strip that must have been out of a bag. Service was horrible. Both waitresses were on their phones the whole time. One servers and the cook were in plain veiw vaping. I'm not expecting a Michelin rate meal but damn this was pretty bad. read more

Loved, loved the food. I had their pasta special with lots of herbs and wonderful, spices, and no sauce, it was delectable. My cousin had their salmon, and it was cooked to perfection with beautiful presentation. This is a must try, very romantic delightful staff and wonderful food. I past it twice because couldn't find it. It was on the corner upstairs absolutely delightful reminded me of an old world restaurant in Italy. Enjoy! read more

Came here on restaurant week and liked it better than our usual pasta place! Service was really slow and there weren't many people in the restaurant. Pasta was delicious and they can make anything but the lasagna and ravioli gluten free. read more

Being a Northeastern Italian, I sometimes have lower expectations when I try a new Italian restaurant. It's not like there aren't any good ones in the Atlanta area but I typically go in hoping for good enough. Osteria Athena is definitely in the class of one of the better Italian restaurants in the extended Atlanta area. First, it's a very nice room and the service is good. I didn't see an Italian presence but once the food came out, it was clearly evident. Most if not all of the pasta is homemade. The sauce or as we call it, "red gravy", was next level good. I ordered meatballs to start. They were very, very good. It's become vogue to charge a lot for something very basic, and that was the case here. For the entrees, my daughter ordered a basic chicken parmigiana, and based on the sauce, I knew she would love it and she did. My other daughter ordered the chicken piccata. Very strange presentation of a basic dish and a bit of a miss. Most of the flavor was lost in cutting the chicken into pieces and mixing it all with spaghetti. Our food prep is simple for a reason. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. I ordered the papardelle bolognese. Again, based on the sauce I thought this would be good, and it was rock solid amazing. My only knit pick and why I ding them a star is price point on the dish. At $24, I don't expect to be done my entree in 4 minutes. I realize most Italian restaurants don't overfill your plates any longer, but the portion was very small for that price. I make this dish often at home, and at roughly $2 of ingredients on my plate even with homemade pasta, you either need to serve a traditional portion or cut the price. Lastly, we finished with cheese cake. One of the best I've had in a while but there is no such thing as bad cheese cake! We would definitely go back to this restaurant but probably not as often as other Italian restaurants due to price. read more

Osteria Athena is the best restaurant in Athens! Chicken Marsala I've ever had!! Great ambience and amazing service!!